New NTSB Images Show Moment UPS Air Freighter’s Engine Ripped Off On Takeoff

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have released frame-by-frame images showing the left engine of the UPS McDonnell Douglas MD-11F freighter separating from the aircraft during a straight-out departure earlier this month in Louisville, leading to a horrific crash.

NTSB’s preliminary report showed the left engine (No. 1) and entire pylon assembly tore away from the wing immediately after rotation, igniting into a massive fireball.

With the wing on fire, the air freighter managed only about 30 feet AGL before losing lift. It cleared the blast fence on Runway 17 Right at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport but struck the roof of a UPS warehouse with its left main gear, then crashed into a nearby industrial park.

In total, three pilots died and 11 people on the ground. Twenty-three others on the ground were injured.

UPS has since grounded all MD-11 air freighters operating in its fleet. The Federal Aviation Administration issued emergency directives grounding all MD-11/MD-11F and later DC-10 series aircraft pending inspection due to a similar wing design.

The NTSB pointed back to a similar crash in 1979 when American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10, experienced a catastrophic engine-pylon separation on takeoff.